Exhausted but omnipresent stars, ever-longer tournaments and exhibitions that have become a business in their own right: tennis is revealing its deepest contradictions, torn between spectacle and physical survival.
A tennis player's income depends solely on his sporting results. In the event of injury, the daily life of those far from the Top 100 can become extremely complicated.
As federations struggle to reinvent themselves, private academies are capturing talent… but also families able to invest tens of thousands of euros a year. A system that is increasingly effective, but also increasingly unequal.
Conceived as a bold bet to prepare for the post–Big 3 era, the Next Gen Masters has shaken up the codes of modern tennis. A pioneering, visionary tournament, but now in search of an identity.
After Rakhimova and Timofeeva, it is Polina Kudermetova's turn to turn her back on Russia for Uzbekistan. A choice that Yevgeny Kafelnikov deems inconsequential for Russian tennis.
Anastasia Potapova's move to Austria did not fail to provoke reactions in Russia. Yevgeny Kafelnikov, a tennis legend and vice-president of the Federation, did not mince his words in commenting on this decision.